


Just Like You Imagined

by Zoi no miko (zoi_no_miko)



Series: Inception - Cobb/Saito [2]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-02
Updated: 2010-08-02
Packaged: 2017-10-10 22:03:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/104798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoi_no_miko/pseuds/Zoi%20no%20miko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saito tries to cope with the aftermath of Limbo, and relationships lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Like You Imagined

**Author's Note:**

> Meant as a follow-up to my first Saito/Cobb piece, Le Reve. But can be read as a stand alone as long as you've seen the movie. :)

Saito had tried to hire them all, after the job was done, with varying degrees of success. He hadn't expected Yusuf to stay, but he'd rather thought that Arthur, in his well cut suits, would welcome his own office. Still, after watching him leave with Eames, standing a little too close, a little too familiar, he wasn't all that surprised to see them disappear off into the world together.

Ariadne agreed to give him the summer, still set on finishing her education in Paris. That was enough for now, and Saito already had plans to woo her back afterwards. He liked the young woman, respected the brilliance of her mind and her passion, the way she stalwartly rejected anything that might get in the way of her goals. He was thankful that she had agreed to tutor him, just as she was grateful to have the time to access the dreaming without restraint and without any goal other than learning, other than pushing the boundries and teaching him to do the same.

Cobb was the one that he'd wanted most to stay, though he'd never admit it. He was relieved when Cobb agreed to a position in his LA office, teaching Saito's executives and directors to defend themselves against extraction. A legal use for his extensive abilities that let him settle down with his children. Saito had no doubt that however safe Cobb made his executives, however well he taught them to guard their subconscious, they wouldn't ever be safe from Cobb himself. But he could accept that, even approve. Somewhere along the line he'd realized that he trusted Cobb more than anything in the world.

They didn't talk about Limbo.

They didn't talk often, and when they did it was business: reports, updates, and a few pleasantries, how Cobb's children were, how Saito was settling down in LA. They didn't talk about Limbo, and Saito couldn't help but wonder how much - if anything - the other man remembered of their time together. He could see hints of it in Cobb's blue eyes, sometimes. A hint of familiarity, of knowing. But it was always pushed away, as if Cobb had convinced himself to act as if none of it had ever happened.

He hadn't intended to talk about Limbo with anyone, at least until the day that Cobb walked by in the middle of a session as he walked the paradoxical stairs with Ariadne. He stopped, met Cobb's blue eyes with his own, and for a moment all he could remember was the taste of the sea on Cobb's lips, the sound of his voice, the way his bare skin had felt under Saito's palms. He stopped, staring, watching until Cobb turned on the walkway above them and walked away calmly.

"He's not real, you know." Ariadne's voice was calm, her hand on his elbow. "Did you mean to bring his projection into this?"

"No," Saito replied, watching the back of his hair as he disappeared among the other projections. "He isn't part of this. I'm not quite sure why my subconscious would bring him here." It was a lie, and Saito knew exactly what he'd dream of on his own if he could still dream, knew the thoughts that kept surfacing in his mind. The memories.

Beside him, Ariadne nodded slowly, amicably. "Someone told me once that dreams are most likely to feature someone that we're uncertain about. That we have unresolved business with. I don't see why the same wouldn't prove true for shared dreaming."

"There is nothing unresolved between Mr. Cobb and myself."

She gave another little nod. "Perhaps you should speak with him all the same? The two of you spent quite a time in Limbo together."

"I have no concerns over that," he said simply, firmly, hoping to end the conversation. Ariadne wasn't like the people who normally worked under him, but for this moment at least she kept her thoughts and opinions to herself.

After their session was over, he bid her politely good evening, then took the equipment back into his office. He trusted the security of this building enough that he felt safe using the machine, even by himself. And he needed to understand. To explore. He put himself under.

It was almost a relief to be dreaming when his nights were empty and unmemorable alone in his bed. He didn't try to create anything fancy, nothing but the lobby of a hotel, bits from the hundreds of hotels he'd stayed in over the course of his life. He wasn't surprised to see Cobb as he made his way slowly past the people - the projections - that were there. That was all that Cobb was too, he reminded himself. His own subconscious ideal of Cobb.

"I'm glad you came alone this time," Cobb said without turning. "I've been watching you. Waiting for you to want to see me."

It was strange, hearing him speak like Cobb, act like Cobb, even though Saito knew he wasn't real. He let his hand rest on the small of Cobb's back before he could stop himself, sighing at the warmth of his body through the fine fabric of the man's suit. "But you are not real, Mr. Cobb."

"No," Cobb agreed, turning towards him a little, leaning into him. "I won't ever lie to you about that. But what happened in Limbo was real, even in dreams." He reached a hand up to stroke his fingertips over Saito's hair, blue eyes vividly bright. Beautiful. "You wanted me and I wanted you, and you wouldn't have woken up without it."

"Of course," he agreed, leaning in to nuzzle Cobb's hair, breathing deep and smelling sunshine and the sea. He let both arms slip around Cobb's waist and drew him closer, let himself savour the closeness, wishing it was real. "I wish I knew how much you could remember."

"I remember more than you think I do," Cobb murmured, his breath warm on Saito's skin before his lips pressed a kiss just under his ear. "Perhaps you just need to ask. Perhaps I want this as badly as you do."

He said yes, in that first dream. It had been too long since he'd touched Cobb's skin, let go of control and allowed himself to feel. He took the projection of Cobb up to the top floor of the hotel, to a suite he was very much familiar with, though he'd never been there with Cobb. With _Dom_, who returned his kisses with as much spirit and desire as he remembered. It was like living it all over again with more vividness, the way Dom shuddered underneath him when he bit down at the crook of his neck, his gasps and moans.

It was too familiar, even the feel of Dom's cock against his palm, even the way he arched and shuddered against him. Even his own climax, with Dom's lips on his jaw, kissing him softly and murmuring his name as he stroked him through the white hot bliss.

"I can't do this again," he said as soon as he'd caught his breath, still feeling desperately empty inside. It was too much to do this with Dom and know it was only his own subconscious providing the intimacy that he so craved. "You're not real. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," the fake Cobb replied, though it didn't stop him from reaching out to stroke his fingertips over Saito's cheek, affectionate and familiar. "I thought you'd say that. But it was worth a try."

Waking up alone in his office, Saito couldn't help but think that he'd just made things worse.

~~~~

Saito told himself that he wouldn't go under alone again. That there was no need. But all through his session with Ariadne the next day he could see Cobb out of the corner of his eye, watching. Standing and waiting for him, like the real Cobb had done for so long in Limbo.

"Have you decided on a totem yet?" Ariadne asked, as she had when they'd first started. Saito could see her out of the corner of his eye, following his gaze. Her voice was light, but it didn't disguise the worry in it. "Don't suppose you know what he's doing here?"

"He is here to remind me," Saito replied after a moment of holding the gaze of blue eyes from across the room.

"Remind you?"

"Of the things that were done and the sacrifices that were made in order to bring me back home. That is all."

"That's not all," Projection Cobb accused him later, when Saito was back in the dreaming on his own, despite his better judgment. "You know that's not all, Saito."

Just like Cobb, strong and self assured and to the point. He sat down wearily on a bench in the garden they stood in. "Please, don't do this tonight."

"Then why are you dreaming? You know that I'm the reason you're here." Cobb moved to sit beside him, his hand heavy and warm on Saito's shoulder. "You want me to push you into action. You know what you need to do, but you're too afraid to do it on your own."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Saito replied, frowning. "I'm simply not about to take advantage of a man who has already done so much for me."

"Then don't take advantage of me," Cobb replied, fingers sliding up into Saito's short hair. He leaned closer, bringing their mouths together in a closed mouth caress. The sweetness of it was almost overwhelming, and he'd moved a hand to cup the back of Cobb's neck before he could stop himself. A kiss turned to two, Cobb's lips parting to his, tongue flicking against his, and Cobb arched closer, yielding to him in the way he always had before. Saito wanted more, wanted _everything_, and so he forced himself to push away.

"Don't do this, Dom."

"Then you need to do it," Dom replied, thumb brushing against Saito's mouth. "And I'll continue to push you until you do."

Saito shook his head and stood, striding away, the dream suddenly feeling hazy. "Then you will be pushing forever."

"You know what you need to do," the projection said, standing and following him, suddenly cross. "Why are you ignoring everything you learned, everything you want? Will you take a leap of faith, or become an old man filled with regret waiting to die alone?

"I would appreciate it if you would care not to use my own words against me," he shot back, fingering the grip of the pistol in the back of his pants. "I mean what I said. If you push me, I will end this dream. I cannot do this."

"So you're just here for the pleasure of my company?"

"I am here because I miss your company," he said before he could stop himself, and closed his eyes. "Isn't that enough?"

"All right," Cobb replied softly, stepping closer and reaching out to touch his arm, just briefly. Then he turned and started down the path.

Saito followed silently, because waking up meant a reality without Cobb, and that was a reality he could avoid for just a little while longer.

 

"How are they progressing, Mr. Cobb?" He asked the real Cobb, in the sterile environment that was his office, all frosted glass and brushed steel. It was little different than his office in Tokyo, but it still seemed somehow alien to him, all this coldness when he was used to warmth.

Cobb nodded, avoiding his gaze, though Saito couldn't tell if it was out of respect or purposeful avoidance. "They're doing well. A few difficult hurdles, but most of them are adjusting quite well to the idea of extraction and how to protect against it. There's a few tidbits of information I've come across inadvertently that you may want to know about...."

Saito watched his mouth, the way his lips formed the words, measured and certain. He wanted to see Cobb's hair loose from its careful, corporate stylings, combed back neatly in place. He wanted to run his fingers through it and feel it damp from the sea. "Things that should not be put to paper?"

"It would be best to discuss them in the dream so that I can show you," Cobb replied, gaze moving to his finally, holding it. Saito couldn't help but wonder if he even remembered everything that had happened, or if he'd simply locked it away in the back of his mind, a safe full of memories in his dreams. He thought about it often, the moments they had together that still played vividly across his mind. A life lost.

He returned Cobb's gaze calmly, trying to see some hint, some trace of what was, but it was hard to read Cobb when his own thoughts were in turmoil. He couldn't go into the dream with Cobb again, not with his own projection of the man still haunting him. Not until he had his subconscious completely under control. He nodded and looked away. "Yes, perhaps when the training is more complete."

"Of course," Cobb replied, with a hint of a frown. "I'll keep track of it until then."

There was something about Cobb in reality that had always held a certain fascination for him. Professional interest, he'd told himself at first. Before the job. Before their lifetime together. The man cut an impressive figure, especially now, his suit expensive and well tailored, appropriate for his position of power, for teaching the execs. But the way he held himself, in the hunch of his shoulders and the uncertainty in his stance lent something to despair. "And how are you?"

Cobb's eyes darted to his again in surprise, then quickly away. "I'm all right. I'm fine. It's good to be home. I appreciate this opportunity, Saito. And the trust you've shown in me."

"You have more than earned it," he replied, and found himself once again lost in the familiar blue gaze, his heart stopping, twisting painfully. He forced himself not to step from the protective barrier of his desk, keeping his hands resting lightly on the cool glass. "Thank you, Mr. Cobb."

There was something almost pleading in Cobb's expression, but it was quickly gone, and he nodded, stepping back. Turning. "I'll report again tomorrow."

 

Saito continued dreaming. His projection of Cobb behaved himself, but barely. He still waited in the shadows whenever Saito was with Ariadne, and when Saito dreamed alone, well. Then it was Dom, there and willing and completely available. Constantly at his side, as he'd been so many times in before. Willing to do whatever he wanted to. But it wasn't, and could never be real.

He avoided creating what he remembered from Limbo, the majestic Donjon with its opulently furnished rooms that had been his home for decades. That, at least, he could control. As much as he wanted that, he knew that it would be too easy to loose his grip on reality all together that way. He spent his time in the hotel instead, the lobby and suite and gardens and poolside so familiar to him that it almost spun itself from his subconscious when he fell into the dream.

"Ask me how much I can remember," the projection of Cobb murmured, urged him once again. Saito couldn't push him away. He held tightly to the tumbler of scotch in his hand, staring out the hotel suite's window and out to the points of light in the darkness that formed other buildings, formed cars and streetlights far below. The suite was all windows, panes of glass framed by buff coloured linen curtains. It would be a beautiful view, if it was daylight. Had been. But somehow his dreams always slipped into night when he wasn't paying attention.

He closed his eyes as Cobb's lips pressed softly below his ear, his hand warm on Saito's back. Nuzzling his skin, claiming him inch by inch as Saito had once done to him. To the real Cobb. "I can't do that." He sighed, letting Cobb move as he would. "Please, I do not want to talk about this."

"So you say," Cobb replied softly, meeting his gaze as Saito turned his face to his. Then a peculiar look crossed the shade's face, and Saito watched him stare at the door for a moment, his gaze distant as if trying to hear something so faint it was barely audible. He shook it off, giving Saito a warm, strangely knowing smile. He leaned in before Saito could react, claiming his lips warmly, teasing him with a swipe of the tongue, and despite his self control Saito could feel his pulse race, feel his will weaken....

"Please excuse me for a moment," the shade murmured, still smiling, and before Saito could react he'd turned and left the room.

He let out a long breath and drained the tumbler of scotch, focusing on the burn of the liquid in his throat, setting the glass down on the marble bar top. The little details of dreaming were what interested him most, but the veins of marble repeated themselves over and over. A failure.

"Nice place. Ariadne's been teaching you well."

He turned at the sound of Cobb's voice to see him standing in the doorway, dressed casually in jeans and a corduroy jacket over a gray polo. The clothes that Saito had seen him in at the very end, in Limbo. A lifetime of dreaming. His breath caught in his throat as his heart twisted painfully, and he swallowed it down. Of course he'd wear this, it was more unexplainable that he hadn't projected Cobb in these clothes before now. "It's careless," he replied, giving a little shake of his head. "I've let myself become distracted."

"Oh?" Cobb's question was light and unassuming as he came into the room, crossing to stop a few feet from him. Finally keeping his distance.

Saito picked up the glass again, staring at the melting ice. The damn shade knew very well what he was talking about. "I don't suppose you would like a drink? Scotch?"

"Not sake?" There was something imploring in Cobb's voice, in the gaze of his blue eyes. The projection's next attempt at breaking him, of course. But he couldn't help but remember once lifting a cup of warm sake to Cobb's mouth, watching his lips part as he drank.

He shook his head again. "Just scotch this time, I am afraid."

Cobb gave a little nod, thoughts distant. "Please. Straight."

Saito poured him a glass and passed it along the bar to him before refilling his own. "This suite promised the complete western experience," he found himself saying, more to fill the silence than anything else. "I'm not certain they attained it with complete accuracy. But it was the first place I met a lover who became very dear to me."

He watched Cobb sip the drink, the tip of his tongue darting out to lick his lips afterwards. "Do you still keep in contact with her?"

"Him," Saito corrected absently, suddenly wondering why he'd created this specific suite over anything else. Why he kept returning here. "He was very beautiful, and he died. It seems like a lifetime ago." He turned to the window again, remembering. "I know that you would tell me that it is a mistake to create from reality. But I think perhaps my subconscious wanted to remind me of the despair of regret."

"Not to die alone," Cobb murmured softly, staring down at his glass.

Saito turned, let his gaze drink in his features, the fall of his hair and the blue of his eyes, the way his eyebrows knit together in concentration. It was so painfully familiar, and he let out a slow sigh. "I wish that I knew how much you could remember."

Cobb's eyes snapped to his in confusion. "I can remember everything. It's... it's why I'm here."

Saito forced himself to look away from the shade. "Don't say things like that, please. I can't do this, I cannot be with you when you aren't real."

He heard a soft intake of breath, saw Cobb move closer out of the corner of his eye to set his glass down on the bar, to rest a hand tentatively on his arm. It was unexpected, when he'd been so bold before. "Ariadne came to me. She said she was worried about you, that you'd been dreaming on your own, and that your projection of me was haunting your sessions with her. She wanted me to talk to you, to make sure that you weren't still effected by limbo. Saito, I... I'm real. I'm in your office right now dreaming with you."

Saito froze, his blood running cold. "That's impossible."

"I wouldn't lie to you." He held Saito's gaze. "You've been coming here to see a projection of me?"

"You're a product of my subconscious," he found himself insisting, only half registering Cobb's question. "You say the things I want you to say."

Cobb gave his head a sharp shake. "A projection says what your subconscious knows that person would say. You honestly think I would have had such a time with my wife if she'd just sat back and said 'I forgive you, move on'? I'm real. I broke into your office and hooked myself into your dream, because...." He stopped, looking down at the bar, moving his hand from Saito's arm to trace the veins of the marble with his fingertips. For a long moment he was silent. "Reminds me of the waves on the beach. Crashing over and over."

"What do you remember?" The words came out before he could stop them, half whispered, and he watched Cobb's fingers curl into a fist.

"I remember that I lost my wife to limbo," Cobb murmured, still staring down at the marble. "I lost her, and I swore I wouldn't let it take you, too. Yet here we are."

"You brought me back," Saito reminded him, but Cobb merely gave a short, hard laugh.

"Brought you back to escape into the dreams like one of Yusuf's clients? What good is that, huh?" He was almost angry now, turning to meet Saito's gaze, challenging. "I bring you back just so that you can run away again?"

"You brought me back because I was your ticket home," Saito returned before he could stop himself, lashing out in anger in response.

What he didn't expect was the intense look of hurt and regret that passed across Cobb's face. He started to back away from the bar, shaking his head slowly, not meeting his gaze. "Look... this was a bad idea. I'm sorry, sorry to have bothered you. I'll go."

No. Saito pushed away the uncertainty, trying to settle the churn of emotions that clenched in knot inside. "Cobb."

Cobb stopped, but didn't say anything, raising his eyes slowly back to Saito's.

He left his glass stay on the bar and took a step forward, remembering. He swallowed hard. "I'm here because it is the only reminder of the life I lost. The only way I can keep hold of what I had with you."

Cobb closed his eyes for a moment, mouth twisting with emotion. Then he took a step back towards him, moving slowly until he was close enough to reach out, watching his own hand as the fingertips brushed the back of Saito's. Saito moved to capture the hand with his own, drawing him in, pulling him close with a shivering sigh.

"I'm here because I'm too chicken to talk to you in reality," Cobb murmured into his shoulder, hand tightening on his. "Thought you didn't remember, or didn't want to... Sorry I didn't come to you before now."

For a moment Saito couldn't move, couldn't speak, heart pounding in his chest. He tried to focus on the heat of Cobb's body against his, the strength of his hand in his own. "The fault is equal there." He couldn't pull back to look at him, couldn't break contact, pressing his face to Cobb's hair.

"There's a promise that you made me that you haven't kept," Cobb said softly, his breath a tease of warmth against Saito's neck. "Do you remember what you promised me?"

Saito's eyebrows knit slightly, sorting through memories, reaching before limbo to let his mind focus on the job. "Our deal...."

Cobb's hand squeezed his gently. "That we would be young men together. That's what I want."

He closed his eyes, keeping his voice low to disguise emotion. "I do not want you to feel obligated or beholden to me in any way, Mr. Cobb. You have given me everything of yourself and owe me nothing. I owe you my life."

"You gave me back my family," Cobb replied, just as softly. "We're here on equal terms, Saito. Did you mean what you said? About being with me?"

"There is no point in lying when you are speaking only to your own subconscious. Or so I thought." Saito finally drew back just enough to meet his gaze. "It feels like we had a lifetime together. It feels... empty to not have you by my side. But... everything I did to you when you were only trying to save me, I - I do not deserve...."

Before he could finish Cobb had lifted a hand to his face, determined, resolute, and leaned in to steal his words with a kiss. The press of his lips was firm and familiar, but there was something so human about it, so unpredictable that he knew without a doubt that this was the real Cobb. Dom. He turned into him without hesitation, sipping his arms around his waist to draw him closer and feeling the other man relax against him. "I'm sorry," Saito murmured, kissing him again and again. "I would never choose to hurt you. I never wanted to - I didn't know...."

"I know." Dom pressed another firm kiss to his mouth before pulling back. "I didn't sleep with you just to save you," he said, holding his gaze. "You were my life as much as I was yours. I want that again. Do you?"

Saito nodded slowly, taking a step back. It was too real, too perfect. "You are real, are you not? Not simply my subconscious?"

Dom echoed his nod. "I wouldn't lie to you about that. You know that."

"All right." The top drawer of the bar still held a pistol, and he cocked it, and though Dom flinched he stood his ground. Saito gave him a small smile, raising the pistol to his own temple. "Then I will see you in a moment."

Dom returned his smile and nodded. "Wake me when you do."

He pulled the trigger.

~~~~

Waking was always disorienting, even more so after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Saito sat bolt upright, gasping, staring blankly at the frosted glass of his office wall in the dim light of his office while his mind returned to reality. Then he remembered, and glanced to one side, finding Dom sprawled on the floor at his side, leaning back against his desk. He was still asleep, the wire on his arm leading to the machine on the desk. Saito couldn't bring himself to move at first, remembering too well how it had been to wake up from Limbo, to stare into Dom's eyes and watch him pull away.

Finally, taking a deep breath and steeling his resolve, he removed the IV from his own arm and he pushed the chair back enough that he could lean down to him. He undid the strap holding the IV into his arm and took it out, cupping his shoulder with one hand, shaking him gently. "Dom. Dom."

The other man stirred, leaning into his touch as he awoke, blinking, finally looking up at him with a tentative smile. "Hey."

For a moment Saito could only search his gaze, his features, taking everything in. Then he reached out to finally run his fingers through the other man's hair, feeling the strands slide satin smooth against his skin. Cobb gave a soft sigh and leaned into his touch, looking up at him with more than a little intensity in his gaze.

"You are real," Saito murmured softly, and watched him smile and nod.

"I told you I was. Do you believe me now?"

"Of course," he replied, letting his fingers stroke behind his ear and down his neck, smiling a little wider as Dom's eyes closed for just a moment with pleasure. He moved, then, shifting to his knees and rising to return the touch, to catch Saito's face in his hands. He was more tentative in waking life, leaning in to brush Saito's mouth with his own, breath a soft sigh against his lips. Then he kissed him again, more firmly, a low moan in the back of his throat, and Saito drew him closer, revelling in the warmth, the familiarity.

"I won't lie to you again," Dom murmured against his mouth, drinking in his kisses. "Not about dreaming and not about us. Not for anything."

"I know," he replied, though truthfully he cared more about Dom's kisses than his words, warm and yearning. His lips parted eagerly at the press of Saito's tongue, meeting his passion with the same voracity, tasting him in return.

"Are you sure you want this?" Saito felt obliged to ask when they parted for air, searching the blue eyes in front of him.

Dom nodded, determined. "I've had a lifetime to figure that out. I want you." He let his thumb caress Saito's cheekbone, then smiled. "Just one more question."

"Oh?"

Dom's smile turned into a smirk. "We going back into the dreaming, or do I actually get to see your place?"

Saito silently took the IV wire from him and closed the lid of the case.

 

The time it took to get home helped assure him of the reality of this, the inconvenience of not being able to be any place instantly at the whim of the mind. Also, it helped him calm, driving the small silver company sedan through the streets of LA with Dom at his side. His companion let a hand rest on Saito's thigh, not suggestive or possessive, just... reassuring. They didn't speak, not for now, not when all they needed was the quiet reality of the other's presence.

"I have to say," Dom said finally as they pulled into the parking garage, "All of Arthur's research on you, the mistresses... I didn't really expect this."

"Women are inconsequential," he replied with a little shrug. "They come and go. Dalliances to fill the void until you are with someone who really matters." He parked and turned off the ignition, dropping a hand to cover Dom's on his thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze, holding his gaze. "You have never been inconsequential to me."

Dom nodded slowly. "This isn't something I've done before."

"Then I will be sure to make it easy for you, Mr. Cobb." He smiled, relieved to see Dom respond to the teasing with a soft chuckle. He let go of his hand and left the car, turning for the elevators, knowing Dom would be at his side.

It was different outside the dream. Outside of Limbo, when his mind was lost in a world that didn't matter, a world with no consequences. But it was better this way, knowing that everything mattered. That Dom mattered.

"I needed this," Dom gasped against his mouth after pulling him close in the entryway of his LA condo. "Needed to know that all that time... that everything that happened with you.... Needed to know that it wasn't nothing."

Saito gave soft hum in agreement, tangling his fingers in short blond hair, drinking in his kisses again and again. Feeling Dom yield to him without giving up the passion and strength that were so much a part of the man. "I know. I understand."

"You weren't a job when I stayed for you," Dom continued, tilting his head back to the hungry press of kisses along his jaw, tangling his fingers in the front of Saito's suit jacket. "You weren't a mark when we all went into the dream, you were so much more than that...."

"More than a way home?" he nipped lightly at the man's earlobe, feeling him shudder and arch closer.

"Oh god." Dom's fingers were already tugging at his tie, trying to loosen it, tugging at the buttons underneath. "A challenge, a friend, an equal..." he gave a soft cry at the tease of Saito's teeth on his throat, hands abandoning his tie to tug his suit jacket undone and slip his hands inside. "I have my life back because of you. Everything Mal took from me. I would have done the job for cash, just for the challenge of Inception, just to have the money to pay off Cobel, but you..."

Saito pulled back at that, meeting his gaze seriously. "Your charges were fixed before you boarded the plane," he told him, voice low. "Even if we failed. I have too much respect for you to have done anything else."

"I know," Dom replied, holding his gaze with the same surety. "I knew before we left."

Saito took in the words with soft surprise. "And yet you stayed for me?"

"I told you it wasn't about the deal."

Standing in the light and warmth of his apartment, it felt like everything had finally fallen into place, and Saito wondered why he'd waited so long to do this. He said nothing, drawing Dom to him and claiming his mouth again. What were a few weeks compared to the lifetime they'd had? To the lifetime they had ahead of them?

He broke the embrace just long enough to pull Dom into his bedroom, then pulled him close again, claiming his mouth, his skin, tugging at the buttons of his suit, possessed with a sudden need to touch every inch of the man, to taste and worship his skin. Dom seemed equally desperate for him, nipping at his neck as he finally managed to devoid Saito of his tie, pushing his shirt and jacket off his shoulders, palms warm on Saito's skin.

It was easy enough to tug undone the knot of Dom's tie, to pull open the starched white shirt and kiss along the line of his jaw as he had so many times in dreams. His skin was slightly rough under his lips with stubble, Dom shuddering when he nipped and at his throat just under the corner of his jaw. While he didn't taste of the sea now, it was still undeniably Dom, and each touch, each press of his lips seemed to reiterate everything Saito had needed so badly. We're here. We're together. This is real.

He smoothed Dom's shirt and jacket off his shoulders before pressing him back into the softness of the apartment's master bed, pushing aside the plush down comforter and crisp sheets, pulling back just for a moment to look at him. Dom's hair was appropriately tousled, lips pink and lush from the force of their kisses, parted as he drew breath.

"Saito..." his name sounded suddenly uncertain on the other man's lips, and Saito leaned down to reassure him with a kiss, stroking a hand down his midline to cup his erection through the fine suit trousers. He smiled as Dom arched up against him, drawing breath in a sharp hiss of pleasure.

"If there is anything you do not like, you can certainly say so," he murmured, nuzzling over his broad chest, flicking his tongue against one peaked nipple. "But I guarantee you will not find reason for complaint."

"Careful... any more cocky and you'll begin to sound like Eames."

Saito chuckled, lifting his mouth from his chest to look up at him. "And have you made love with Mr. Eames?"

That made Dom choke, surprise turning to laughter, arms wrapping around Saito's shoulders. It suited him, laughter, seeming to smooth away some more of the weight of sadness the man always seemed to carry. Saito smiled, indulging in the sight for a moment before continuing to kiss down the man's torso. He nipped teasingly at his stomach, then tugged the belt and fastening of his slacks undone, nuzzling his cock where it stretched tight the thin cotton of his undershorts. He tugged at the clothing, helping Dom wriggle it down his hips until he was finally bare under him, until Saito could nuzzle the length of his shaft, breathing in deeply the warmth and scent of his arousal.

"Much better than limbo," he murmured, and took the head of his cock in his mouth. Dom's hands scrambled at his shoulders, hips arching a little, and Saito let him move, let the man buck deeper into his mouth with a little encouraging hum. There was nothing more powerful and nothing more subservient than this, pleasing a man with lips and tongue and the drag of his teeth, the combination of which left Dom shuddering and gasping for breath. He loved the helpless grope of Dom's hands at his back and short cropped hair as he lavished attention on his cock, licking up the underside and pressing his tongue against the slit. He lapped up the salty bitterness of his lover's arousal, one hand curling around the base of his erection to stroke him slowly as he focused on his head.

"Oh god, Saito..." Dom's voice was helpless, drawing little hitched breaths, and Saito could feel the muscles of his thighs and ass tense and bunch under him, obviously trying to keep control. It wasn't what he wanted.

"Do you like this, Dom?" he murmured, pulling back, letting his breath tease Dom's cock as he stroked him slowly. "Having me on my knees, worshipping you? My mouth on your beautiful cock? Do you like knowing how hard you make me?"

Dom's fingers clenched at his hair, tugging his mouth back towards the head of his cock. "Feels so good. God, Saito, _please_ \- !"

He took him in his mouth again, swallowing him deep without warning, rewarded by a little buck of his hips, a taste of the lack of control Saito wanted to drive him to. He slipped a hand to cup his lover's balls, squeezing and stroking gently, teasing just behind them with the pads of his fingers. He continued to work at his cock, pulling back to tease the head again, sucking, working his tongue against it before going back to swallowing him down, revelling in the taste of his skin and the size of him, the feel of his head nudging the back of his throat.

When Saito pulled back to tease again he heard Dom give a little helpless curse, fingers clenching at the back of his head, pulling him back down. Saito gave an appreciative moan around him, giving in to his control, moving with him as he rocked up into his mouth again and again. He remembered what it was like to see Dom's face lost to pleasure and imagined it again now, his head thrown back and eyes clenched shut, lips parted to the breathless gasps he could hear. It was everything he'd craved, to have this man, so often admired, at his mercy again, tense and trembling, completely lost to pleasure. Dom's fingers clenched almost painfully at his shoulders, at his scalp, and he gave a little choked whimper as Saito's fingers slipped back to gently stroke his asshole, teasing without intruding, giving him a taste of the pleasure it could bring.

"Saito - " Dom let go of his hair suddenly, his other hand clenching hard at his shoulder in warning, but Saito merely gave his hip a reassuring squeeze and swallowed him deep again, feeling a heady rush of satisfaction at Dom's hoarse yell, at the feel of his cock pulsing, climax hot and thick as he drew him through his orgasm.

"Please," he heard Dom gasp, still breathless, hands tugging at his shoulders. This time it was to pull him close and curl into him, to wrap his arms around him and press his forehead to Saito's, seeming almost overwhelmed as he came down from climax.

Saito let a hand smooth up his spine, stroking up through his hair, pushing aside his own desire for the moment. He kissed Dom, warm and gentle, giving a soft, appreciative noise when Dom licked into his mouth, one hand moving to stroke up Saito's bicep then over his chest.

"Do you want..." Dom started, a little uncertain, and Saito cut him off with a firm kiss. He wanted everything, certainly. Wanted to claim and own and possess Dom in every way possible. But for that, they had all the time in the world. He realized that even in Limbo - his mind muddled with the dream, easily confusing intents and motivations, fear and desire - even there, he wouldn't have rushed this. And perhaps a little of this was an extension of that, his efforts to slowly and completely claim Dominic Cobb in every way.

"I need this," he replied, and let his eyes fall closed as Dom's hand smoothed down his stomach to cup his aching cock through his slacks. "Yes. This most of all. Please. Just let me be close to you. Like we were then."

Dom's reply was a wordless, gentle kiss as he tugged Saito's slacks them undone, slipping down into his shorts. "You're wearing too much," Dom murmured as he cupped his erection, squeezing gently. Saito drew a sharp breath against his mouth at the sensation, shifting to tug off the remains of his clothing. He pressed close again, rocking up into Dom's fingers as they curled around his cock, stroking slowly, thumb teasing the head, already slick with need.

He shifted to press his face to Dom's hair, nestling his face into the silken strands and trying to breathe through the hot throbs of pleasure that Dom pulled from, his fingers working Saito's cock slowly. It was his presence that did as much as anything else, the warmth and strength and solidity against him, Dom's hand warm on his bare back as his mouth pressed warm kisses along his jaw, his neck, his breath hot against his skin. "Feels right," Dom murmured, breath warm against his skin. "Feels so right, being with you. Thank you. Oh, Saito...."

He could hardly think beyond the sea of sensation that surrounded him: the strength of Dom's embrace, the tease of his breath, the touch of his hand on Saito's erection, slick with his arousal. The warmth and brightness of the room. His body was wound tight as a harp string, singing under the attention of a lover long needed, and that touch awoke every nerve in his body, made pleasure surge and build, made him ache for release. "Dom," he gasped, and felt Dom's fingers clench at his back almost painfully, felt his lips press a hard, trembling kiss under his jaw.

"Come on, lover," Dom whispered, working his cock a little more firmly, a little faster, his breath hot and trembling. "Know you're close. Need to feel you, please...."

"Dom," he gasped again, breath catching in his throat, helpless to resist his words in the face of so much pleasure. He closed his eyes and held on tight, feeling Dom control his bliss, urge him over the edge to a shower of heat and light and ecstasy. The gentle stroke of his fingers coaxed his body through every last shiver of pleasure, slick with his seed, and Dom's lips pressed trembling kisses to his cheek, his mouth, every inch of his face.

For a time he said nothing, revelling in the closeness, in soft kisses as he tried to come down, mind spinning. Finally he drew back just enough to look into adoring blue eyes, loosing himself a little more in the peace and happiness he saw there. "Tell me that this is real," he asked softly, stroking his fingers over Dom's forehead, pushing back a strand of hair that wasn't so much errant as completely fucked out of place. "Tell me that we're awake."

Dom's eyes searched his face for a moment. Then he nodded slowly. "We're awake. We're real."

The words were calming, and Saito had no doubt of their truthfulness. And that was all he needed.

 

In his session with Ariadne the next day, they worked on the bottom floor of a modern office building, the walls and floors around them made completely of glass. Men and men in business suits strode by, but he paid no attention.

To his right, Ariadne let out a soft sigh. "He's still here." She sounded worried, disappointed, and Saito remembered what Dom had said about her asking him to come investigate his dreams.

He followed her gaze to see Dom standing casually by the fountain, leaning against the back of a bench, relaxed. He glanced over as if sensing Saito's gaze, giving him a warm smile and a knowing wink. "It's all right," Saito told her, smiling. "He will not bother us. And I know what is real and what is only a dream."

~~fin!~~


End file.
